Freezing pre-treatment improves radio frequency explosion puffing (RFEP) quality by altering the cellular structure of purple sweet potato [Ipomoea batatas (L) Lam.].

Radio frequency explosion puffing (RFEP) is a novel oil-free puffing technique used to produce crispy textured and nutritious puffed snacks. This study aimed to investigate the effects of freezing at different temperatures (-20 °C, -40 °C, -80 °C) for14 h and freezing times (1 and 2 times) on the cellular structure of purple sweet potato and the quality of RFEP chips. The analysis of cell microstructure, conductivity, and rheology revealed that higher freezing temperatures and more freezing times resulted in increased damage to the cellular structure, leading to greater cell membrane permeability and decreased cell wall stiffness. However, excessive damage to cellular structure caused tissue structure to collapse. Compared with the control group (4 °C), the RFEP sample pre-frozen once at -40 °C had a 47.13 % increase in puffing ratio and a 61.93 % increase in crispness, while hardness decreased by 23.44 % (p < 0.05). There was no significant change in anthocyanin retention or color difference. X-ray microtomography demonstrated that the RFEP sample pre-frozen once at -40 °C exhibited a more homogeneous morphology and uniform pore distribution, resulting in the highest overall acceptability. In conclusion, freezing pre-treatment before RFEP can significantly enhance the puffing quality, making this an effective method for preparing oil-free puffing products for fruits and vegetables.

Cadherin-responsive hydrogel combined with dental pulp stem cells and fibroblast growth factor 21 promotes diabetic scald repair via regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition and necroptosis.

Diabetes causes a loss of sensation in the skin, so diabetics are prone to burns when using heating devices. Diabetic scalded skin is often difficult to heal due to the microenvironment of high glucose, high oxidation, and low blood perfusion. The treatment of diabetic scald mainly focuses on three aspects: 1) promote the formation of the epithelium; 2) promote angiogenesis; and 3) maintain intracellular homeostasis. In response to these three major repair factors, we developed a cadherin-responsive hydrogel combined with FGF21 and dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) to accelerate epithelial formation by recruiting cadherin to the epidermis and promoting the transformation of N cadherin to E cadherin; promoting angiogenesis to increase wound blood perfusion; regulating the stability of lysosomal and activating autophagy to maintain intracellular homeostasis in order to comprehensively advance the recovery of diabetic scald.

Ag85B-ENO146-82 therapeutic vaccines enhance anti-tumor immunity by inducing CD8+ T cells and remodeling tumor microenvironment.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality in China. However, the effect of traditional cancer treatment is limited. Herein, we designed a therapeutic cancer vaccine based on the tumor-associated antigen mENO1, which can prevent lung cancer growth in vivo, and explored the underlying mechanism of Ag85B-ENO146-82 therapy. Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) tumor-bearing immunocompetent C57BL/6 mice that received Ag85B-ENO146-82 treatment showed antitumor effect. Further, we detected CD8+ T, CD4+ T in LLC-bearing C57BL/6 mice to understand the impact of Ag85B-ENO146-82 therapy on antitumor capacity. The Ag85B-ENO146-82 therapy induced intensive infiltration of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in tumors, increased tumor-specific IFN-γ and TNF-α secretion by CD8+ T cells and promoted macrophage polarization toward M1 phenotype. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that CD8+ T effector memory (TEM) cells and central memory (TCM) cells were upregulated. qPCR and ELISA analysis showed that the expression of IFN-γ and TNF-α were upregulated, whereas of IL1ß, IL6 and IL10 were downregulated. This study demonstrated that Ag85B-ENO146-82 vaccine augmented antitumor efficacy, which was CD8+ T cells dependent. Our findings paved the way for therapeutic tumor-associated antigen peptide vaccines to enhance anti-tumor immunotherapy for treatment of cancer.

HCMV IE1/IE1mut Therapeutic Vaccine Induces Tumor Regression via Intratumoral Tertiary Lymphoid Structure Formation and Peripheral Immunity Activation in Glioblastoma Multiforme.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a highly malignant invasive brain tumor, is associated with poor prognosis and survival and lacks an effective cure. High expression of the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) immediate early protein 1 (IE1) in GBM tissues is strongly associated with their malignant progression, presenting a novel target for therapeutic strategies. Here, the bioluminescence imaging technology revealed remarkable tumor shrinkage and improved survival rates in a mouse glioma model treated with HCMV IE1/IE1mut vaccine. In addition, immunofluorescence data demonstrated that the treated group exhibited significantly more and larger tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) than the untreated group. The presence of TLS was associated with enhanced T cell infiltration, and a large number of proliferating T cells were found in the treated group. Furthermore, the flow cytometry results showed that in the treatment group, cytotoxic T lymphocytes exhibited partial polarization toward effector memory T cells and were activated to play a lethal role in the peripheral immunological organs. Furthermore, a substantial proportion of B cells in the draining lymph nodes expressed CD40 and CD86. Surprisingly, quantitative polymerase chain reaction indicated that a high expression of cytokines, including chemokines in brain tumors and immune tissues, induced the differentiation, development, and chemokine migration of immune cells in the treated group. Our study data demonstrate that IE1 or IE1mut vaccination has a favorable effect in glioma mice models. This study holds substantial implications for identifying new and effective therapeutic targets within GBM.

Process optimization of wheat flour crisp puffing by radio frequency and the accompanying property changes of starch.

This research performed the process optimization of wheat flour crisp puffing by radio frequency (RF) and investigated the accompanying property changes of starch. Experiments were performed in a 6 kW, 27.12 MHz pilot-scale RF system. The results showed that the volume expansion was highest (220%) when the conditions were employed as follows: electrode gap (115 mm); height of the sample (55 mm); initial moisture content of the sample (30%). Under these conditions, the samples were puffed at 120 s by RF, and changes in the starch properties were further observed. The results showed that the structure of the starch was destroyed, changing from oval and spherical in shape to fragmented. The crystal type of the starch changed from A to A + V types. Its crystal order was reduced, and the Fourier-infrared spectrum showed that the ratio of (1048/1022) cm-1 decreased from 1.142 to 1.047. The crystallinity decreased from 48.27% to 17.57%. These changes will help starch digestion and absorption in human body. These results indicated that RF puffing could become a potential development method for puffed snacks. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: In this study, the processes of radio frequency puffing wheat flour chips were optimized, and the changes of starch properties during puffing were studied. Therefore, this research provided a theoretical basis for the industrial application of radio frequency puffing.

Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Transcriptomics Revealed HCMV IE2-Related Microglia Responses in Alzheimer's-Like Disease in Transgenic Mice.

    Although multiple factors are known to concur with Alzheimer's disease (AD), the relationship between human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and AD-like disease is unclear. Here, we propose a hypothesis that HCMV immediate-early 2 (IE2) protein promotes microglia activation and thus leads to AD-like disease. We successfully constructed IE2 transgenic mice expressing IE2 in the hippocampus. Single-cell sequencing analysis revealed that IE2 promoted the activation of microglia and upregulated the expression of disease-associated microglia genes. Differentially expressed gene analysis and pathway enrichment revealed that IE2 upregulated immune and nervous system disease-related genes. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the expressions of both amyloid precursor protein (APP) and p-Tau were significantly upregulated in the brains of IE2 mice and were markers of AD. Taken together, these findings provide useful insights into AD-like disease activated by HCMV IE2.

Glucocorticoid impact therapy for recurrent IgG4-related disease with diabetes insipidus as the main manifestation: A case report and literature review.

RATIONALE: There is a relative wealth of experience in the initial treatment of IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD), but little is known about therapeutic measures for recurrent cases combined with multiple organ and tissue involvement. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 43-year-old man with a previous diagnosis of IgG4-RD due to recurrent right lacrimal gland enlargement with eyelid erythema presented with diabetes insipidus. DIAGNOSES: We performed a pituitary Magnetic Resonance Imaging which revealed posterior pituitary rim changes with inhomogeneous enhancement and nodular-like thickening of the pituitary stalk, and performed a water-deprivation-vasopressin test confirmed central diabetes insipidus, and in combination with the patient's elevated IgG4 levels and past medical conditions, we diagnosed central diabetes insipidus, IgG4-related hypophysitis, and IgG4-RD. INTERVENTIONS: After the patient was admitted to the hospital we gave methylprednisolone 500 mg intravenously once daily for 4 days and again for 4 consecutive days after a 10-day interval. During this period combined with mycophenolate mofetil 250 mg twice daily and desmopressin acetate 0.1 mg 3 times daily. OUTCOMES: The patient was followed up for a sustained period of 6 months and no side effects of glucocorticoid therapy were noted, there were no signs of recurrence, and the daily urine output stabilized in the normal range. LESSONS: We recognized that IgG4 levels do not reflect relapse or long-term control, and that glucocorticoid shock therapy is an optional and reliable treatment strategy for relapsed patients.

Compressive Behaviors of Thin-Walled Steel Tube Stub Columns Filled with Self-Compacting Concrete Containing Recycled Aggregate.

Natural resources have been excessively consumed, and large amounts of construction wastes have been generated, owing to the fast development of civil industry, causing crucial environmental issues. Therefore, reusable construction waste fabricated into recycled concrete offers a good strategy to solve this issue. Thus, this article first develops thin-walled steel tubes stub columns filled with self-compacting concrete containing recycled coarse aggregate. Afterwards, the compressive behaviors of the columns when undergoing axial compression loading to failure are explored. Subsequently, the effect of types of self-compacting concrete and wall thickness on failure modes and the relationships between load and displacement/strain is discussed comprehensively. Moreover, models of load-displacement/strain behaviors are proposed. The results show that columns with identical wall thicknesses containing both natural and recycled coarse aggregate display similar failure modes, mainly presenting as local buckling and rupture. The shape of the load-displacement/strain curves for identical wall thicknesses are almost the same. Nevertheless, the maximum load and stiffness of columns containing recycled coarse aggregate are lower than those of columns containing natural coarse aggregate. Additionally, the maximum loads corresponding to wall thickness of 1.2 mm and 3.0 mm are decreased by 18.4% and 5.8%, respectively. Moreover, the proposed models can reasonably evaluate the relationships between load and displacement/strain. This paper demonstrates that thin-walled steel tubular columns containing recycled coarse aggregate present positive compressive behaviors and thus exhibit great potential for developing environmentally friendly and sustainable civil infrastructures.

Eccentric Compression Behaviors of Self-Compacting Concrete-Filled Thin-Walled Steel Tube Columns.

For the sake of solving sustainability issues and analyzing the complicated service force states, eccentric compression experiments on self-compacting concrete-filled thin-walled medium-length steel tube columns with a circular cross-section were carried out in the present study. Thereafter, the influence of the eccentric ratios and the wall thickness factors on the mechanical behavior and failure characteristics of both the eccentrically loaded and axially loaded columns was comprehensively analyzed. Finally, prediction formulas for the ultimate load of the columns under eccentric compression were proposed, and a comprehensive comparison of the ultimate loads between the predicted values and experimental values was also conducted. The results indicated that the typical failure characteristics of the eccentrically loaded columns presented lateral deflection together with buckling, while the axially compressed columns displayed expansion and rupture at local positions. Moreover, the ultimate loads of the eccentrically loaded columns decreased by 43.0% and 34.5% in comparison to the columns under axial compression, with the wall thickness factor decreasing from 116.7 to 46.7, respectively. Meanwhile, the ratios of the ultimate loads calculated using design codes to the tested values were in the range of 0.70~0.90, which demonstrated that the design codes could predict the ultimate loads conservatively. Additionally, the ratios of the ultimate loads calculated using the proposed formulas to the tested values were within the range of 0.99~1.08, implying that the proposed formulas were more accurate than the design codes. At the same time, the initial stiffness of the columns under eccentric compression was correspondingly lower than that of the columns undergoing axial compression. The lateral deflections along the height of the columns were almost symmetrical at different loading levels. This study could provide a meaningful approach for designing columns and facilitate their application in civil industry.

Sinensetin ameliorates high glucose-induced diabetic nephropathy via enhancing autophagy in vitro and in vivo.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) affects around 40% of people with diabetes, the final outcome of which is end-stage renal disease. The deficiency of autophagy and excessive oxidative stress have been found to participate in the pathogenesis of DN. Sinensetin (SIN) has been proven to have strong antioxidant capability. However, the effect of SIN on DN has not been studied. We examined the effect of SIN on cell viability and autophagy in the podocyte cell line, MPC5 cells, treated with high glucose (HG). For in vivo studies, DN mice models were established by intraperitoneal injected with streptozotocin (40 mg/kg) for 5 consecutive days and fed with a 60% high-fat diet, and SIN was given (10, 20, and 40 mg/kg) for 8 weeks via intraperitoneal injection. The results showed that SIN could protect MPC5 cells against HG-induced damage and significantly improve the renal function of DN mice. Moreover, SIN remarkably restored the autophagy activity of MPC5 cells which was inhibited under HG conditions. Consistent with this, SIN efficiently improved autophagy in the kidney tissue of DN mice. In brief, our findings demonstrated the protective effect of SIN on DN via restoring the autophagic function, which might provide a basis for drug development.

HCMV-IE2 promotes atherosclerosis by inhibiting vascular smooth muscle cells' pyroptosis.

Atherosclerosis is still the main cause of death in developed and developing countries. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) death disorder is a key pathogens of atherosclerosis. During the early stage of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection, immediate early protein 2 (IE2) is critical in regulating its host cell death to ensure HCMV replication. Abnormal cell death induced by HCMV infection contributes to the development of numerous diseases, including atherosclerosis. Hitherto, the underlying mechanism of HCMV involved in the progression of atherosclerosis is still unclear. In this study, the infection models in vitro and in vivo were constructed to explore the pathogenesis of HCMV-related atherosclerosis. Our results indicated that HCMV could contribute to the progression of atherosclerosis by enhancing the proliferation, invasion, and inhibiting the pyroptosis of VSMCs under inflammatory conditions. Meanwhile, IE2 played a key role in these events. Our present research revealed a novel pathogenesis of HCMV-related atherosclerosis, which might help develop new therapeutic strategies.

Case report: A case of Culler-Jones syndrome caused by a novel mutation of GLI2 gene and literature review.

Culler-Jones syndrome is a rare clinical phenomenon with diverse manifestations and is prone to misdiagnosis. We report one patient who presented with a 10-year history of anosmia and a 1-year history of epididymal pain. Kallmann syndrome was suspected initially. The results of his laboratory tests, imaging, and genetic testing, however, combined to provide a conclusive diagnosis of Culler-Jones syndrome. With the aid of high-throughput sequencing technology, the GLI2 gene c.527A>G (p.Tyr176Cys) heterozygous mutation in the child was identified. No published works have yet described this mutation site. We described Culler-Jones syndrome in a child at length. We recommend that Culler-Jones syndrome be taken into account when considering the spectrum of disorders associated with abnormal growth and development in children. Once diagnosed, individualized hormone replacement treatment is required for each patient.

Developing radio frequency (RF) heating protocol in packed tofu processing by computer simulation.

Packed tofu was produced by reheating the mixture of preheated soymilk and coagulant in a sealed container. This study aimed to replace the conventional heating method with RF heating during the reheating of soymilk for packed tofu production. In this study, dielectric properties (DPs), thermal properties (TPs), and rheological properties of soymilk were determined. A mathematical model was developed to simulate the RF heating process of soymilk to determine the appropriate packaging geometry. Water holding capacity (WHC), texture analysis, color measurement, and microstructure observation were performed to evaluate the quality of RF-heated packed tofu. Results showed that soymilk added with Glucono-Delta-Lactone (GDL) coagulated at the temperature above 60 °C, and the loss factor (ε″) was slightly reduced when soymilk was converted to tofu at coagulation temperature. Based on the simulation results, the cylindrical vessel (φ50 mm × 100 mm) was chosen as the soymilk container for desired heating rate (5.9 °C/min) and uniformity (λ = 0.0065, 0.0069, 0.0016 for top, middle, and bottom layers). The texture analysis revealed that the hardness and chewiness of packed tofu prepared by RF heating were enhanced (maximum 1.36 times and 1.21 times) compared with commercial packed tofu, while the springiness were not significantly changed. Furthermore, the denser network structure was observed inside RF-heated packed tofu by SEM. These results indicated that packed tofu prepared by RF heating was of higher gel strength and sensory quality. RF heating has the potential to be applied in packed tofu production.

Human Cytomegalovirus IE2 Disrupts Neural Progenitor Development and Induces Microcephaly in Transgenic Mouse.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a significant contributor to congenital birth defects. Limited by the lack of animal models, the pathogenesis of neurological damage in vivo caused by HCMV infection and the role of individual viral genes remain to be elucidated. Immediate early (IE2) protein may play a function in neurodevelopmental problems caused by HCMV infection. Here, this study intended to investigate IE2's long-term effects on development of the brain in IE2-expressing transgenic mice (Rosa26-LSL-IE2+/-, Camk2α-Cre) aimed to observe the phenotype of postnatal mice. The expression of IE2 in transgenic mice was confirmed by PCR and Western blot technology. We collected mouse brain tissue at 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 days postpartum to analyze the developmental process of neural stem cells by immunofluorescence. We discovered that transgenic mice (Rosa26-LSL-IE2+/-, Camk2α-Cre) can reliably produce IE2 in the brain at various postpartum phases. Furthermore, we also observed the symptoms of microcephaly in postnatal transgenic mice, and IE2 can damage the amount of neural stem cells, prevent them from proliferating and differentiating, and activate microglia and astrocytes, creating an unbalanced environment in the brain's neurons. In conclusion, we demonstrate that long-term expression of HCMV-IE2 can cause microcephaly through molecular mechanisms affecting the differentiation and development of neural stem cells in vivo. This work establishes a theoretical and experimental foundation for elucidating the molecular mechanism of fetal microcephaly brought by HCMV infection in throughout the period of neural development of pregnancy.

Tumor cell vaccine combined with Newcastle disease virus promote immunotherapy of lung cancer.

Lung cancer is a fatal disease with the highest worldwide morbidity and mortality rates. Despite recent advances in targeted therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors for cancer, their efficacy remained limited. Therefore, we designed a Newcastle disease virus (NDV)-modified tumor whole-cell vaccine as a therapeutic vaccine and identified its antigen presentation level to develop effective immunotherapy. Then, we calculated the therapeutic and immune-stimulating effects of NDV-modified lung cancer cell vaccine and intratumoral NDV injection combination on tumor-bearing mice. The results showed that the immunogenic cell death (ICD) expression in NDV-modified lung cancer cell vaccine stimulates dendritic cell maturation and T cell activation in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, NDV-modified lung cancer cell vaccine combined with intratumoral NDV injection could significantly inhibit tumor growth and enhance the differentiation of Th1 cells and Inflammatory cell infiltration in vivo, leading to an excellent immunotherapeutic effect. Therefore, our results revealed that NDV-modified lung cancer cell vaccine combined with intratumoral NDV injection could promote antigen presentation and induce a strong antitumor immune response, which provided a promising combined therapy strategy for tumor immunotherapy.

The effect of radio frequency heating on the inactivation and structure of horseradish peroxidase.

The effects of radio frequency (RF) heating on horseradish peroxidase (HRP) activity and its structure were investigated in this paper. The HRP was heated to 50 °C, 70 °C and 90 °C at different electrode gaps (100, 110 and 120 mm). The relative enzyme activity was 105.33 %-113.73 % at 50 °C, 91.11 %-93.05 % at 70 °C and 47.05 %-68.17 % at 90 °C. Ultraviolet-visible, circular dichroism and fluorescence spectra were used to monitor the variation in secondary and tertiary structure. The results showed that RF heating at the electrode gaps of 120 mm contributed to more severe enzyme inactivation and conformational destruction, which can be explained by the changes in Soret band, secondary structure content and tryptophan fluorescence intensity. This study revealed that enzyme inactivation by RF heating was associated with loss of helical structure, unfolding of enzyme protein and ejection of heme group.

CRM197-conjugated multi antigen dominant epitope for effective human cytomegalovirus vaccine development.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is a major cause of neonatal neurodevelopmental disorders and serious complications in organ transplantation. Previous HCMV vaccines focused on humoral immunity but had limited effect on viral infection. T-cell responses are essential to prevent HCMV infection, indicating that effective vaccines require T cells activation. In this study, we designed a novel polypeptides vaccine conjugated to a CRM197 carrier protein, encoding 15 CD8+ T-cell epitopes, five CD4+ T-cell epitopes, and four B-cell epitopes from gB287-320 and pp150311-325 of HCMV to induce T-cell immune responses. To evaluate the effectiveness of vaccines, we subsequently measured the expression of surface molecule markers and proinflammatory cytokines from antigen presenting cells in vivo and in vitro as well as the activation of T cells and antibodies. The results demonstrated that this polypeptide vaccine could activate innate immunity including up-regulating MHCI, II, CD80, CD86, and cytokine expression through the TLR4/NF-κB pathway. Meanwhile, vaccinations elicited potent neutralizing antibody and cellular immune responses producing TNF-α, INF-γ and IL-2, indicating Th1-biased polarization. This finding underlines that CRM197-conjugated polypeptide vaccines facilitate a synergism of humoral and cellular immunity, providing enhanced protection against HCMV, which could be a potential strategy to prevent CMV-associated diseases.

Combined obesity- and lipid-related indices are associated with hypogonadism in Chinese male patients with type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional study.

Background: There is insufficient attention to hypogonadism in Chinese males with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We evaluated the relationship between Combined obesity- and lipid-related indices [Visceral Adiposity Index (VAI), Chinese Visceral Adiposity Index (CVAI), Triglyceride Glucose Index (TyG) and Lipid Accumulation Product (LAP)] with total testosterone (TT) and analyzed the predictive capability of the respective cut-off values. Methods: We recruited 958 hospitalized male patients with T2DM at the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, collected baseline data and four calculated indices, and obtained their dominance ratio (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) with TT by multivariate logistic regression. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were then used to determine cutoff values in predicting hypogonadism (TT< 12 nmol/L), and we also analyzed the combinations between the different indices. Results: VAI, CVAI, TyG, and LAP all have satisfactory predictive capabilities. The test capability (sensitivity and specificity) of all four indices was better or not worse than that of body mass index (BMI), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and waist circumference (WC). All four indices were effective predictors of hypogonadism at their respective cutoff values (VAI ≥ 2.284, CVAI ≥ 145.779, TyG ≥ 4.308, and LAP ≥ 59.850). Of these, LAP had the largest area under the curve (AUC, AUC = 0.852, Std. Error = 0.014, 95% CI = 0.818-0.873). However, the predictive capability of the combined indices was not significantly improved over the individual indices. Conclusions: VAI, CVAI, TyG, and LAP are sensitive indices for predicting hypogonadism in Chinese male patients with T2DM. Considering the need for concise and accurate indices in clinical practice, we suggest LAP as a commonly used index.

The Management of Diabetes with Hyperuricemia: Can We Hit Two Birds with One Stone?

Serum urate (SU) is an independent predictor for the incidence of diabetes. In current diabetes treatment regimens, there is insufficient appreciation of the importance of hyperuricemia (HU) in disease control and prevention. To summarize the updated knowledge on the effects of SU on ß-cell function, insulin resistance and chronic diabetic complications, as well as to evaluate the management of patients with both HU and diabetes, we searched the MEDLINE PubMed database, and included 285 journal articles. An inverted U-shaped relationship between fasting plasma glucose and SU levels was established in this review. Elevated SU levels may enhance the development of chronic diabetic complications, including macrovascular and microvascular dysfunction. Diet and exercise are essential parts of the lifestyle changes necessary for HU and diabetes management. Glucose- and urate-lowering drug selection and combination should be made with the principle of ameliorating, and at least not deteriorating, diabetes and HU. Medical artificial intelligence technology and monitoring systems can help to improve the effectiveness of long-term management of HU and diabetes through digital healthcare. This study comprehensively reviews and provides a scientific and reliable basis for and viewpoints on the clinical management of diabetes and HU.

Sterilizing Ready-to-Eat Poached Spicy Pork Slices Using a New Device: Combined Radio Frequency Energy and Superheated Water.

In this study, a new device was used to inactivate G. stearothermophilus spores in ready-to-eat (RTE) poached spicy pork slices (PSPS) applying radio frequency (RF) energy (27.12 MHz, 6 kW) and superheated water (SW) simultaneously. The cold spot in the PSPS sample was determined. The effects of electrode gap and SW temperature on heating rate, spore inactivation, physiochemical properties (water loss, texture, and oxidation), sensory properties, and SEM of samples were investigated. The cold spot lies in the geometric center of the soup. The heating rate increased with increasing electrode gap and hit a peak under 190 mm. Radio frequency combined superheated water (RFSW) sterilization greatly decreased the come-up time (CUT) compared with SW sterilization, and a 5 log reduction in G. stearothermophilus spores was achieved. RFSW sterilization under 170 mm electrode gap reduced the water loss, thermal damage of texture, oxidation, and tissues and cells of the sample, and kept a better sensory evaluation. RFSW sterilization has great potential in solid or semisolid food processing engineering.